Will Power
by mission impossible
Summary: Chase learns that it takes more than will power to play the piano. Rating to be safe. One-shot.


The black and white keys glowed in the soft light of the chapel, the only place in the hospital that always had a piano available. Dr. Robert Chase sat staring at them, lost in thought. His hands were posed, ready to play, but playing was the last thing on his mind. He couldn't get the anguished look of their latest patient's parents out of his mind. They had been frantic as he and his fellow doctors had rushed their ten year old son to surgery, a ruptured spleen the latest symptom. Their son came out of it fine and they had gotten over the worst of their fear but he still couldn't get the looks out of his mind. Chase sighed, closing his eyes as he dropped his hands from the keys to his lap. He couldn't concentrate.

"Finally realizing it takes more than will to play?"

Chase didn't need to open his eyes to know it was his boss standing in the door way.

"Not in the mood," he told the older man quietly.

"Aw come on, what good is a rainy afternoon if I can't cause trouble?"

Chase heard the thump of the cane coming down the aisle and groaned. The last thing he wanted was to be tortured by his boss which was one of the reason's he had picked the chapel to hide away. Even if House had thought to come look for him there a he clearly had, part of Chase had hoped he'd be struck down the minute he stepped in the door. As it was his luck wasn't that great.

"So what exactly has the little wombat hiding out?" House asked in his well practiced mocking tone when he reached the piano.

"Nothing," was the tired response he received.

House sighed.

"You're no fun."

Chase didn't answer him and House sighed again. Chase didn't care how bored his boss was, he wasn't going to be the source of his entertainment, not today. House, never one to miss when something was wrong, noticed his duckling's lack of response, which was unusual for him. He hadn't missed the look on his face when he had seen their patients parents as they had rushed to surgery and he hadn't missed the hint of jealousy in his voice had he'd talked to them after. It wasn't often Chase got like that and House, figuring it had something to do with the blonde's own parents, had decided to seek him out to see just how upset he was, despite his better judgement. House, expecting to at least get some response, hadn't been prepared for this.

"Push over," he told the younger man.

Chase opened his eyes for this, surprised at the comment. House wasn't one to be close with people in anyway. To share the piano bench would be odd for him but the young intensivist did what he was told. House didn't miss the surprise that had come across Chase's face.

"If you're not going to entertain me in anyway then I'll have to entertain myself," he told the blond.

He placed his hands upon the keys and started to play. Moonlight Sonata filled the chapel and Chase couldn't help but admire the older man's ease with which he played. House noticed the intent with which Chase was watching him play and smirked.

"What's the matter? Can't play this one?"

"Not that well," Chase responded, his voice void of emotion.

"It's not that hard with practice," House told him, finding he was in the mood for a conversation now that the music had started.

"I can barley play and sing, let alone play Beethoven with ease."

"You sing?"

"So?"

"Nothing, just surprised," House told him, covering up his shock as quickly as he could. |

He hated to admit it but he and the blond were more alike than he had thought.

"Do you?"

House stopped playing and turned to look at his duckling. He really came across as the most innocent of the three and with his voice full of pleading, for a reason House wasn't sure of, the older man found he felt the need to respond, act almost as a father figure to this lost young man sitting beside.

"Some. I haven't preformed in years."

"What's you're favorite song to preform?" Chase asked, his curiosity about his boss' life getting the better of him.

House took a deep breath and began to sing.

"This circus is falling down on its knees,  
The big top is crumbling down."

The piano had chimed in as he had finished singing circus and Chase wasn't surprised to see he played with just as much ease when he was singing. What he was surprised to find was the House's voice was a mix of a light tenor and an alto, his voice soaring up and down to put heavy emotion into the lyrics.

"It's raining in Baltimore fifty miles east  
Where you should be, no one's around"

Chase wasn't all that surprisd to hear the depressing lyrics. House wasn't really a happy person to being with. He was slightly surprised to hear him singing something that sounded as if he were singing about a life gone wrong, something that could have been better.

"I need a phone call  
I need a raincoat  
I need a big love  
I need a phone call"

'Since when does House need that?' Chase wondered to himself as he watched the other man's hands floated across the keys.

"These train conversations are passing me by  
And I don't have nothing to say  
You get what you pay for  
But I just had no intention of living this way"

The emotion rang clear in House's voice as he sang and Chase wasn't surprised to see his eyes had clouded over and was just playing and singing from memory.

"I need a phone call  
I need a plane ride  
I need a sunburn  
I need a raincoat"

The more Chase listened to the song he realized why it sounded so odd. It wasn't originally a song he would have pinned House for liking. He had always been into the harder rock, like The Who or Warrant but never a Counting Crows person, but the more he listened to the lyrics the more he realized that it was House.

"And I get no answers  
And I don't get no change  
It's raining in Baltimore, baby  
But everything else is the same"

Chase felt bad for the older man as he listened to him playing. He really was as broken as Cameron believed him to be.

"There's things I remember and things I forget  
I miss you I guess that I should  
Three thousand five hundred miles away  
But what would you change if you could?"

He'd never mentioned anything about his love life with Stacy and he never talked about his interest in Cuddy but it was obvious to Chase that he needed that connection. Now he could see that House never expected to make that connection.

"I need a phone call Maybe I should buy a new car  
I can always hear a freight train Baby, if I listen real hard  
And I wish, I wish it was a small world  
Because I'm lonely for the big towns  
I'd like to hear a little guitar  
I guess it's time to put the top down"

He slowed his voice to match the melody and Chase found himself wishing he could have that kind of talent. House seemed to be able to portray his emotions easily in song without getting too overwhelmed, something Chase had always wanted to do but was never able. As he watched the older man's face, however, he realized that bringing that emotion to the surface for everyone to see took its toll.

"I need a phone call  
I need a raincoat  
I really need a raincoat  
I really really need a rain coat  
I really really really need a rain coat  
I really need a raincoat"

House had forgotten Chase was sitting next to him on the bench. He finished the song and let his fingers rest against the keys, just as Chase had been when he found him. He sighed, coming back to earth. He turned to look at the young man sitting next to him, all composure back on his face.

"Told you it takes more than will."

Chase smiled.

* * *

Well that was a rather sappy ending. The song was Raining in Baltimore and belongs to the artist Counting Crows. I hope you liked my spur of the moment writing. There was no slash intended however I'm sure you can take some out of it. Anyway let me know what you think my loves.

River


End file.
